Russia boosting Africa support with new food shipments
In addition, Moscow is finalizing formal procedures to deliver up to 20,000 tons of wheat to Niger, Russian Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut told the news agency. She indicated that further aid could be arranged 'if agreements are reached.'
'In recent months, we have sent 559 tons of peas and 164 tons of sunflower oil to Zimbabwe [in December 2024], as well as 29,400 tons of diesel fuel to the Central African Republic [in January 2025]. In May, 709.5 tons of peas are expected to be transferred to Burkina Faso,' the ministry announced.
Lut emphasized Russia's readiness to continue humanitarian support, confirming that domestic reserves are able to meet future requests. She said such decisions are made at the presidential level and will depend on coordination between heads of state.
Speaking to the outlet, Vsevolod Sviridov, the deputy director of the Higher School of Economics Center for African Studies, said African countries have the long-term potential to reduce reliance on humanitarian aid. In an interview, he suggested Russia could offer a unique approach by providing tools like 'drones and digital technologies for agriculture, fertilizers, or seeds adapted to local conditions' instead of traditional aid deliveries.
In January, the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa confirmed to TASS that more than 1,600 tons of grain had been delivered to Ethiopia.
On December 30, Moscow also sent over 65 tons of wheat to Mali via the port of Conakry in Guinea.
During a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in February, Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev reported that Russia had completed the delivery of 200,000 tons of wheat to six low-income African countries. He described the effort as the largest humanitarian food initiative ever undertaken by the Russian government.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
44 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Kremlin accuses Ukraine of ‘putting cart before horse'
Ukraine's calls for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky are premature, as the two sides have yet to make progress on major points of disagreement, the Kremlin said on Thursday following the latest round of peace talks. The negotiations, held in Istanbul the day before, lasted less than an hour. Both sides agreed on several humanitarian issues, including the exchange of prisoners of war, civilian detainees, and the repatriation of soldiers' remains. Russia has also proposed short-term ceasefires lasting 24 to 48 hours to facilitate the evacuation of wounded personnel and the recovery of bodies. In addition, Moscow has suggested the creation of three online working groups focused on political, humanitarian, and military issues. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that while 'no breakthrough was expected,' the humanitarian agreements reached during the meeting were a positive step. He described the continuation of such exchanges as 'an extremely important humanitarian aspect which should be on the agenda.' He added that Russia had presented a 'constructive, concrete' agenda that was 'aimed specifically at substantive work that can lead to the achievement of concrete results.' However, Peskov criticized Kiev's calls for an immediate summit between Putin and Zelensky, arguing that such a meeting should only happen after meaningful progress has been achieved at the working level. 'They are trying to put the cart before the horse. Work needs to be done, and only then can the heads of state be given the opportunity to record the achievements that have been made,' he said. The Kremlin spokesman also referred to the conclusion by Russia's lead negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, that the two sides continue to hold 'diametrically opposed' positions on key issues, as reflected in the draft memoranda they exchanged earlier in the negotiation process. Despite the stalemate on broader political questions, Moscow has expressed hope that a fourth round of talks could take place in the future.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
African nation hits out at Trump over mega-dam claim
Ethiopia has rejected US President Donald Trump's claims that Washington funded a multibillion-dollar hydropower dam that the East African country has built on the Blue Nile, calling the statement false and 'destructive.' Trump repeatedly said at a White House dinner with Republican senators last Friday that Ethiopia constructed the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) 'largely' with US money. 'It doesn't allow much water going into the Nile River. So you can imagine Egypt's not thrilled because, they live off the Nile River,' he said. The president also claimed in a post on his Truth Social online platform last month that the 'massive' dam, 'stupidly financed' by the US, 'substantially reduces the water flowing' into the Nile River. However, on Tuesday, Fikrte Tamir, deputy director of the GERD Coordination Office, told reporters that the project had been completed 'without any foreign aid.' She said that over its 14-year construction period, it was financed entirely through government resources and public contributions, including salary deductions and donations from the diaspora. 'Regarding the remarks made by US President Donald Trump, the Ethiopian government should respond diplomatically and wisely,' Fikrte added. The landlocked country's government announced the completion of the GERD earlier this month. The facility has been under construction since 2011 and is designed to generate up to 5.15 gigawatts of electricity, making it the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa. The project was initially scheduled for completion within six years on a $4 billion budget. On Tuesday, the GERD Coordination Office announced that 1.7 billion birr (about $12.3 million) has been raised from the public alone during the 2024/25 Ethiopian fiscal year. The project, which Addis Ababa sees as a transformative energy source for the region and a symbol of 'regional cooperation and mutual benefit,' has long been a source of dispute. Egypt and Sudan have repeatedly voiced concerns over its impact on downstream water flows. The Nile reportedly provides approximately 97% of Egypt's supply of fresh water. Both Cairo and Khartoum fear that upstream water retention could severely affect agriculture and water security in their countries.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ukrainian drone strikes kill two in former Olympics host city
Two women were killed and at least 11 people injured in an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the southern Russian city of Sochi, officials said Thursday. According to Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Krasnodar Region, the women died when debris from a downed drone fell on Aviatsionnaya Street in the Adler district. 'Both women died from their injuries at the scene,' he wrote on Telegram. The drone strikes also damaged a local oil terminal in the nearby Sirius district, a sprawling resort zone that includes parts of Sochi's former Olympic Park and now serves as a popular tourist destination. The area hosted the winter games in 2014 and now features many luxury hotels, including two operated by Belgium's Radisson. The head of Sirius, Dmitry Plishkin, confirmed that one drone had hit an oil facility on Tavricheskaya Street. Governor Kondratyev later added that 'drone fragments also struck the oil terminal.' Among the 11 wounded was a traffic police officer who is being airlifted to a regional hospital, the governor said. Four people in total were hospitalized. Local media and Telegram channels reported more than a dozen explosions in different areas, with footage showing air defense systems engaging multiple targets. Students and hotel guests in Sirius were temporarily moved to underground shelters and parking garages. The attack came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian officials concluded another round of negotiations in Istanbul. Moscow proposed a limited ceasefire to allow the evacuation of wounded troops and the recovery of the dead, as well as a large-scale prisoner exchange involving at least 1,200 captured soldiers from each side.
